There is a challenge going around the internet to make a list of theological confessions. Here are a couple of my favorite lists:

Michael Westmoreland-White
Bob Cornwall
Kim Fabricius

Here is my own list:

I confess that the first time I read one of Marcus Borg’s books I couldn’t finish reading it because I thought he was a heretic. I’ve since read everything he has written and now give him credit for helping me keep and expand my faith.

I confess that I believe in the reality of God that is the ground of all being.

I confess that I find peace and freedom in about 20% of what Paul Tillich said and I love to quote him, but I can’t really understand the other 80%.

I confess that I have a subconscious desire to be labeled a heretic. That is probably why I like John Shelby Spong so much.

I confess that I spent too long searching on my own outside of any faith community. I’m ready to get back into a community even if it means making some theological compromises.

I confess that I don’t believe in a theistic God that answers prayer, but I still pray. I’m not sure why, but I guess it is so ingrained in my thinking that I can’t get away from it.

I confess that I am still angry because I was never taught by the churches I’ve attended about the rich and diverse theological views in the history of Christianity.

I confess that I often watch dispensationalists on TV just to get a good laugh.

I confess that I love the Bible, but I believe its authors were wrong on many topics including the sinfulness of homosexuality, condoning of slavery, and the existence of a literal individual life after death. I don’t think those errors which were based on ancient worldviews in any way degrade the valuable lessens those stories teach about life.

I confess that I dislike church services, sermons, and worship music but I love talking about God and finding ways to incorporate the message of Jesus in my life and community.

I confess that I can’t find any description of the Trinity that doesn’t sound like a combination of a bad science fiction novel and a cheesy vampire movie. Can somebody remind me if holy water will kill a vampire or will it just leave a rash until his next Eucharist? Can a werewolf survive a silver bullet through the heart if he was actually born of a virgin? If Jesus traveled back in time in a De Lorean and viewed his own crucifixion, would the space-time continuum be disrupted and if so, is that why the curtin in the temple was torn when he died? I always get confused about these things.

I confess that I learned more about how to understand the message of Jesus from Gandhi, Tolstoy, and numerous Buddhists than I ever learned in a church.